Book Review: Perilous Times, Thomas D. Lee
Fantasy: Perilous Times, Thomas D. Lee
Blog Tour May 24, 2023
When I first read the description of Perilous Times, I thought, “That sounds interesting. I might like that.” I have seldom been more wrong about a novel. After reading, I would now say, “That was amazing. I love it.”
Kay was one of the knights of the round table, serving under his brother, King Arthur. Thanks to some magic from Merlin, he and other knights were called to rise from the earth and defend England against “perils.” Over the years, these perils included crusades, invasions, world wars, and wars of colonization. “Perils” is a word with lots of meanings.
Lancelot was also one of those knights who returned in times of peril. This is not the Lancelot we learned about in the stories. This Lancelot is gay and in love with Galehaut (not the same knight as the more well-known Galahad). Kay is also quite different from the stories. For one thing, he is black.
Kay rises near some kind of factory. Not sure where the peril might be, when he hears shooting he assumes that it might be in the direction of the shots. There he finds a young woman, Mariam, fleeing for her life from the “Saxons.” These Saxons are not the invaders from King Arthur’s time. They are a mercenary private security firm. Kay, however, is hard-wired to fight Saxons, so he jumps into the fray and helps the young woman escape before he is killed.
And rises again.
From there the story crosses England, intersecting with an immortal Christopher Marlowe, a group of female eco-terrorists, the Army of St. George, the god Herne, and Morganna. The perspective shifts from Kay to Lancelot to Mariam. Grudges from long ago still carry weight into this future England, consequences of past perils echo down the halls of time, and two knights who hate each other must find a way to work together if they are to help Mariam achieve her destiny.
I absolutely loved the take on “heroism” that author Thomas D. Lee has. Kay and Lancelot are heroes–but what does that mean? Why does it matter? What good are they, really? They have been popping up from the ground like gladiatorial tulips for centuries and nothing seems to have really changed. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, the shadowy powers behind the scenes continue to work their schemes. Kay and Lancelot are able to help Mariam, but not in the way they or she expected. “Heroes” are people you count on to do the things that ordinary people should do on their own. It is not until Mariam and the others embrace that truth that they are able to reach the story’s exciting conclusion.
Our thanks to to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers and to NetGalley for our copy of Perilous Times, provided so we could write an honest review. The thoughts here are solely those of Scintilla. For other perspectives, check out the other bloggers on this tour.
Book Review: Perilous Times, Thomas D. Lee